Politics

Congress' plan: Spend $436M on tank Army doesn't want

(NEWSER) – The Abrams tank sounded pretty remarkablein reports chronicling its arrival in Afghanistan more than two years ago: The 68-ton machine is propelled by jet engines and has a main gun that can destroy a house from more than a mile away. But since its debut, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been pushing to upgrade the tank, devoting $436 million to the cause. Except as the APexplains, senior Army officials keep telling Congress they're not interested. "If we had our choice, we would use that money in a different way," says the Army's chief of staff.